Sipdown! (124) (Yay I’m halfway to 100!)
Giving this tea a second chance today! I found that I didn’t enjoy it much gong fu style, each steep was bitter to me. Apparently this is unusual? So today, I’m trying it Western-style to see if I find it more agreeable that way. I did two teaspoons in boiling water for 7 minutes.
Meh, I guess this tea is just not for me. I will say that I think I prefer this method to gong fu, because it doesn’t taste as strongly woody as before. However, it’s still quite bitter. To me, it kind of tastes like biting into a bar of baking chocolate, and I do not consider that a pleasant experience. I added some sugar and soy milk to see if that would help temper the bitterness, and it did lessen it slightly. However, I don’t really want to buy a tea that I have to drink with sugar and milk.
I’m really kind of torn on whether or not to rate this, since it seems everyone else loves it. But I’m not really biased here so I don’t see why not… Hmm!
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I think you used too much tea for 8 oz of water. I would try again with only 1 tsp. Less tea usually means less bitterness.
Also, I think seven minutes is way too long, try only 2 or 3 minutes.
1 tablespoon is the recommended amount, actually…
I know a lot of people on here like to brew this up Western style. Me? I brought this tea over here to the US cause I dig it gong fu style, very short steepings. I guess for a 5 ounce gaiwan, I use 2 tsp or so, maybe a hair more, but I’m doing a rinse and then steepings that are “touch and go” for the first 3 or 4, slowly increasing time. I’ve enjoyed more than my share of western brews of this, though :)
When you hit 100 are you off hiatus?
Marz, that was the original plan but we shall see! :P
I think you used too much tea for 8 oz of water. I would try again with only 1 tsp. Less tea usually means less bitterness.
Also, I think seven minutes is way too long, try only 2 or 3 minutes.
1 tablespoon is the recommended amount, actually…
I know a lot of people on here like to brew this up Western style. Me? I brought this tea over here to the US cause I dig it gong fu style, very short steepings. I guess for a 5 ounce gaiwan, I use 2 tsp or so, maybe a hair more, but I’m doing a rinse and then steepings that are “touch and go” for the first 3 or 4, slowly increasing time. I’ve enjoyed more than my share of western brews of this, though :)
When you hit 100 are you off hiatus?
Marz, that was the original plan but we shall see! :P